Finally nailed it "The artisan" pie

[addicted]

This is the pizza that I have been trying to make forever.....I think I nailed it. Let me know what you guys think.(Good or Bad)

[bigpix]

Wow, that looks great! How did it taste? What recipe did you follow?
Glad to see others reaching success this week too.

[pftaylor]

Addicted,
Your pie looks marvelous. How long did it take you to get to that point of excellence? If you have a picture of a cross section and the bottom that would help with comments.

It also looks real heavy. What is that white stuff on the peel? Did you incorporate the puff method? How heavy of a pie before the puff method doesn't work?

[Timreid]

BEAUTIFUL!!!!   

[bortz]

Magnifico!
What was the temperature cooked at?

[D.C. Pizza Master]

here is some negative feedback

1)making a good pizza is about presentation as well.....the pizza should be close to being  perfect circle (you might not care but i do

2) why is it so thick? thats alot of chewing on bread my freind..why not  make a pizza with a thinner crust?

[Pete-zza]

D.C. Pizza Master,

Americans respect tradition, even in Italian pizza making, but they rarely feel bound by it. They don't mind change. In fact, they welcome it. Pizzas that are not round, that is, of irregular shape, are viewed as being more homemade, rustic, charming and with more character. Famous restaurants like Al Forno in Providence and Pepe's in New Haven proudly feature pizzas that are of irregular shape. Pat Bruno, a writer for PizzaToday, in an article a couple of years ago, predicted that the trend in pizza shapes was as follows:

"The shape of pizza. Look for more pies to be rectangular or oval in shape.It doesn't hurt to show something a little different now and then. (In one of my pizza books I have a pizza with a hole in the middle; it never caught on, but who knows?). Also, you might want to think `pie are square.' A lot of pizza places in Italy do pizza ai metre, or pizza by the meter, since it is cut into a length determined by the eater. Something to think about."

Peter

[friz78]

Addicted,
Nice pizza, my friend.  I really like the non-round shape.  It gives it a very rustic, authentic type of look - Artisan, as you say.  Keep up the great work and keep the pictures coming!
Friz

[addicted]

here is some negative feedback

1)making a good pizza is about presentation as well.....the pizza should be close to being  perfect circle (you might not care but i do

2) why is it so thick? thats alot of chewing on bread my freind..why not  make a pizza with a thinner crust?

Interesting observation...........If pizza has to be round for proper presentation then why does it come in a square box?

The thickness on the border is nice and puffy.......not breadlike......I just didn't get a picture of a slice because the phone rang and by the time I realized it , it was already gone.

Thanks for the feedback though.

[addicted]

I cooked this pizza on Quarry tiles instead of a stone this time, pre-heated at 500 for an hour. As soon as the pie went into the oven I turned the broiler on. Cook time was about 6 min. Dough was made 10 hours earlier and taken out of the fridge one hour before cooking. This is a new dough recipe I have been using.

3 cups KAFL
2 tsp Kosher salt
1 TB Barley malt
1 tsp sugar

Mix dry ingredients in mixer

1 cup room temp bottled water
2 TB olive oil
1 tsp honey
1 tsp ADY

Mix in bowl, add to flour, dough hook on low speed until ball forms. Stop let rest 5 min. Mix on low until ball is smooth. Divide dough into two. Put balls in oiled zip lock bags until ready to use.

This might seem like alot of ingredients but it worked for me.

Thanks for all the comments everyone.....good and bad.

[addicted]

Addicted,
Your pie looks marvelous. How long did it take you to get to that point of excellence? If you have a picture of a cross section and the bottom that would help with comments.

It also looks real heavy. What is that white stuff on the peel? Did you incorporate the puff method? How heavy of a pie before the puff method doesn't work?

Been making pizza as a hobby for a couple of years. I will take pictures of the bottom and sides next time. The stuff on the peel is just a light dusting of flour. Puff method always works for me. Thanks.

[Pete-zza]

Addicted,

Is the barley malt you are using the diastatic malt--which comes in a dry form as opposed to barley malt syrup (which is non-diastatic)?

Peter

[addicted]

Addicted,

Is the barley malt you are using the diastatic malt--which comes in a dry form as opposed to barley malt syrup (which is non-diastatic)?

Peter

Correct. It is the dry form.

[Pete-zza]

Now I'm curious to know why you used the diastatic malt, and in the quantity you chose.  I don't have an empty bag of KASL on hand to check, but I do know that KA already adds barley malt flour (which it calls a "natural yeast food") to its bread flour. And with its tight milling specs, I would think that the KASL wouldn't need more enzymatic (alpha-amylase) activity. Have you done a before and after test by any chance?

Peter

[addicted]

Well to be honest It was next to the KAFL on the shelf at the New Seasons market that just opened here in Beaverton, Oregon. I read the label and figured what the hell? This store has the best of everything.....baking, organic produce, the best bakery and meat department I have ever seen. It is expensive but man is it worth every penny. Here is the brand...........

[friz78]

Pete,
I think there must be a non-diastatic malt that comes in powder form.  The reason I say this is that on the back of the KASL flour bag is a recipe for bagels, which I have used.  In this recipe, it calls for non-diastatic malt POWDER. 
Friz

[Pete-zza]

Friz,

Yes, you are correct. Malt comes in diastatic and non-diastatic forms and in wet and dry forms. What Addicted has appears to be the dry non-diastatic form. That makes it primarily a sweetener that feeds the yeast, and adds flavor and color to the crust. It doesn't provide additional alpha-amylase enzyme performance, which would appear to be unnecessary or superflous with a flour like the KASL. In fact, if used in excess, it could result in a slack, sticky dough and a gummy crumb in the baked crust. Until I saw what Addicted was using I wondered whether he experienced the symptoms I just mentioned--although his pizza looked far too good to have had those problems.

Peter

[D.C. Pizza Master]

D.C. Pizza Master,

Americans respect tradition, even in Italian pizza making, but they rarely feel bound by it. They don't mind change. In fact, they welcome it. Pizzas that are not round, that is, of irregular shape, are viewed as being more homemade, rustic, charming and with more character. Famous restaurants like Al Forno in Providence and Pepe's in New Haven proudly feature pizzas that are of irregular shape. Pat Bruno, a writer for PizzaToday, in an article a couple of years ago, predicted that the trend in pizza shapes was as follows:

"The shape of pizza. Look for more pies to be rectangular or oval in shape.It doesn't hurt to show something a little different now and then. (In one of my pizza books I have a pizza with a hole in the middle; it never caught on, but who knows?). Also, you might want to think `pie are square.' A lot of pizza places in Italy do pizza ai metre, or pizza by the meter, since it is cut into a length determined by the eater. Something to think about."

Peter

your a very knowledgable guy and i respect that

but im italian and i learned how to make pizza in italy....pizza in italy is at an advanced stage then in the USA...so anything i say is not to offend..but to share the knowledge of a culture who is more advanced in the creation of pizza then in the USA

[Pete-zza]

D.C. Pizza Master,

I took no offense nor was any intended on my part.

When I started the serious study of pizza making--after I had discovered 00 flour--many of my early pizzas were Neapolitan style pizzas, using the best and most authentic ingredients I could find. Later I became aware of other styles of pizzas that I had heard about but knew little about making. I have always viewed Neapolitan style pizzas as being a separate species of pizza, and not to be compared with other types, much like a parent doesn't favor one child over another (at least not openly). I like Neapolitan pizzas and the Italian history and culture behind them, and we all owe a debt of gratitude to those who left Italy to come to the United States to plant the seeds of the pizza industry in the United States. But that still leaves a lot of room for other alternatives and, if there is anything that Americans excel at, it is creating choices, not only in pizzas but almost every other field imaginable.

Peter

[snowdy]

looks great man!!
actually... looks a lot like what i ended up with here:
(http://www.dataheadz.com/pizzamaking/joes_done2.jpg)

that was about the same thickness, only yours browned up a lot nicer than mine did 

As far as being round, i dont think it matters much, its hard for those of us who are weekend warriors vs. professionals. Also like Pete said, some of the best places in the USA dont have perfectly round pizzas. I remember when i ate at Grimaldi's in NYC the pizza was a little out of wack as far as roundness goes and DAMN if that wasnt one of the most memorable pies ive ever put into my gut!

keep up the good work dude